Cuomo to kick off $2 million ad campaign on behalf of state Senate Dems

Gov. Cuomo this week will kick off what aides say will be a $2 million television and digital ad campaign designed to help with the effort to flip control of the Senate to the Democrats. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo this week will kick off what aides say will be a $2 million TV and digital ad campaign designed to help with the effort to flip control of the Senate to the Democrats, the Daily News has learned.

"This election is not about red and blue, it's black and white — and we need a Democratic state Senate to protect New York and keep progress moving forward," Cuomo said.

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The first ad is in support of two Long Island Democrats — Anna Kaplan and James Goughran —who are taking on Senate GOP incumbents Elaine Phillips and Carl Marcellino, respectively.

It starts off saying that Cuomo "needs Democrats like Jim Goughran and Anna Kaplan in the state Senate" to fight back against Washington on issues like gun control, abortion rights and a federal tax law the governor says hurts New York that has been blocked by the state Senate GOP.

Some Senate Democrats groused last week that the governor and state Democratic Party he controls have spent virtually nothing on the races so far.

But a Cuomo source said that over the final three weeks of the campaigns, the state party will be rolling out ads for individual candidates in key battleground Senate districts, particularly on Long Island, where Cuomo remains popular.

The source also promised a "robust paid field operation" to help turn out voters on Election Day.

The idea, the source said, is to duplicate what Team Cuomo believed was a winning formula in helping Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic state attorney general candidate Letitia James win their Sept. 13 primaries.

The ads, which are said to be funded jointly by the governor's campaign and the state Democratic Party, will run on television and digital platforms like Facebook. The Senate-specific portion of the program will be over $2 million, with another $2 million expected to help different congressional Democratic candidates, the Cuomo source said.

Cuomo last week announced the state Democratic Party raised more than $500,000 toward the state Senate effort.

Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif dismissed the ad campaign as Cuomo's attempt to control all of state government since a Democratic takeover of the Senate would give the party the governor's mansion — if Cuomo wins reelection as expected — and both houses of the Legislature.

"If Gov. Cuomo elects a Democrat majority in the Senate, there will be no accountability, no checks and balances, and no one to stop this administration from the corruption, bribery and pay-to-play schemes that have sent (former aides Joseph) Percoco, (Alain) Kaloyeros and other associates to jail," Reif said.

"What Andrew Cuomo really wants is absolute power in Albany, and we're the only ones who can stop it."